


Getting Closer

by L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n



Series: Marvel Hero Academia [28]
Category: Captain Britain and MI: 13, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Arguing, Awkward First Times, Brooding, Discussions of Vigilantism, Don’t copy to another site, Dorks in Love, F/M, Found Family, Late Night Conversations, Slow Burn, Sort Of, discussions of divorce, planning for the worst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29204337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n/pseuds/L3t_U5_D0_That_Aga1n
Summary: In which Toshinori bonds with the mother of his son.
Relationships: Brian Braddock & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Peter Parker & Yagi Toshinori | All Might
Series: Marvel Hero Academia [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686835
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

Getting Closer

**Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi**

/+/+/+/+/

"Ok," Toshinori said as he set down the suitcases in his arms. "That's the last of it."

"You'd think this were a permanent move," Gran remarked from beside him. He eyed the guestroom with disdain, "Yeesh, _this_ is where you're having that poor woman sleep?"

"It's not that bad!" Toshinori countered. "A little…bland, maybe."

"A little?" Gran spat. "Why the hell did you paint the walls brown?"

"It came like that!"

"And you left it like that?"

"Never had guests before."

"Bah!" Gran threw his hands in the air (almost whacking Toshinori with his cane), "Well, if Midoriya complains, you better fix it." His lips dipped into a melancholic frown, "Least you could do."

"True," Toshinori replied, equally somber.

Gran clasped both hands over his cane. "…Think they're done saying goodbye?"

Toshinori grunted, calling upon One for All. Within seconds, he heard muffled sobs coming from further within his apartment. He released his powers with a sigh, "Let's give them five more minutes." Gran nodded. They stood around in silence, until Toshinori said, "You sure you want Izuku to stay with you? I might not have another bed or futon yet, but I can sleep in the office or on the couch until—"

"Don't," Gran cut him off with a wave of his hand, "Things are going crazy enough as it is. You keep your bed—you'll need it. Besides," he sighed deeply, "I'm going to need every minute I can with the kid. At least until he gets the basics down—there's only so much you can teach, after all."

"Hopefully we won't have to send him halfway around the world to learn on his own." Toshinori would always love America—what he'd learned and who he'd met—but he'd forever resent why he had to go there.

"Maybe. Have you spoken with—"

"Gran," Toshinori sighed, shoulders slumping, "Can we…not talk about that?" He was going to have a talk with his friends. But he couldn't help but feel that the minute he did, he'd be forcing them down a very familiar road.

"…Fine," Gran grunted. They stood in silence for another few minutes, until Toshinori checked on Inko and Izuku once more. He heard some sniffles, but no heartrending sobs, so he figured it was safe.

Their eyes were red-rimmed, and tear tracks were clearly marked on their cheeks, but Inko and Izuku were just smiling at each other, the former mussing with the latter's hair. Izuku noticed them first, smile dying (and didn't that just tear Toshinori's heart in two?) as he stepped away from his mother, nodding at them.

Toshinori stepped forward, taking a steadying breath as he placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder, "You'll be fine, my boy. Just listen to Gran—he doesn't look it, but there's no finer teacher in all of Japan. I wouldn't be the man I am today if not for him."

Izuku looked like he was going to start crying again. Thankfully, for Toshinori's crumbling resolve if nothing else, he instead smiled brightly, darting forward and wrapping his arms around Toshinori. Toshinori didn't hesitate to do the same.

They must have stayed like that for a long while, because Gran poked his foot with his cane. "Gotta go," he grumbled half-heartedly, jerking his head towards the front door. Toshinori nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Izuku.

The young Hero-to-be sent him a watery smile, before wrapping his mother in another, shorter, hug. He nodded at them, "I-I'll be fine. I love you—Mom!" he hastily added, blushing up to his ears (if they weren't so pressured on all sides, Toshinori would be _more_ than happy to discuss how much he would have been okay with Izuku's original statement).

Gran was much curter. Sending Inko a smile and Toshinori a nod before leading Izuku out and closing the front door.

It wasn't until that moment that it all sunk in. For the next week or so, he and a woman (a woman that made his heart beat twice as fast) would be living together, alone, under the same roof.

Maybe he should have thought things through a bit more.

He turned to Inko, who was no doubt thinking what he was thinking, given the way her face heated up. She twiddled her thumbs, "So…"

"So…" Toshinori replied, blinking dumbly.

She looked around, "This is a…nice place."

"Thank you."

"Very…" her eyes darted around but were unable to find anything of note in the spartan space, "…clean."

"I try." They fell into silence, faces burning.

_Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can!_

"Oh, thank god," Toshinori muttered, reaching for his pocket. He nodded as Brian's name flashed across the screen—he was swapping out one awkward situation for another, but at least he knew what to do with this one. He smiled at Inko, "I've gotta take this."

"By all means!" she returned the gesture. "I'll…I'll go unpack!" she said, nodding. She left, turning on her heel and marching for her temporary room.

Toshinori watched her, only composing himself just after she rounded the corner. He really should have thought all this through.

Vowing to berate himself later, held up his phone. He sighed; into the breach he went. He answered it, "Brian, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Let me vent first," his friend said, dropping whatever semblance of joy Toshinori could muster. "Guess who's been blacklisted?" his friend said with mock cheer.

"Son of a—" Toshinori ran his free hand through his hair—just what they needed, "You too?!"

"Sort of," Brian's voice dropped to an unpleasant hum. "So, I made some calls, see if the MI: 13 could show Japan some 'support in propriety' and other such nonsense. A bunch of other nations are doing it." He chuckled, "But guess what happened when they realized that _I_ was one of the British Isles' premier Heroes?" Toshinori groaned, dropping his head in his hands. Well, there went his last hope of getting any (legal) help from international allies.

"Well, who else is in the running?" He might be getting pushed to the fringe of Pro-Hero society, but he still wanted to be kept in the loop.

"No idea. But soon after, almost the entirety of Europe was out of the running."

"Wha—why?" The United Kingdom, Toshinori could understand (he hated it, but it made sense). But the rest of Europe?

"From what I've been told, 'Fear of untoward influence'."

"What influence?"

"America's." Well, that made sense. "Specifically, Peter's."

"Oh c'mon!"

"He _has_ been to Germany a handful of times. And Silver Sable likes to sing his praises—you think MJ knows about that?"

"After Black Cat I don't think she cares anymore," Toshinori said dismissively.

"Fair enough. Anyway, Peter's left enough cobwebs in Europe that Japan appears to have turned down all requests from the continent. Which leaves Asia, Africa and South America."

"You mean China?" You didn't need to go too far to find another country that wanted to one-up the United States. "Either way, I'm now entirely out of the loop."

"Certainly…Sorry, Toshi. My hands are tied."

"It's fine," he sighed, "Getting your help was a longshot anyway." He wanted to end it there—stew in his own misery. But his side-stepped conversation with Gran refused to leave him alone. Licking his lips, he said, "Brian, I need to ask you something."

"Of course."

"Would it be alright if I told Inko and Izuku about you?"

"What? Why?"

Toshinori gulped, "If…If the worst should come to pass…" He trailed off.

There was a brief pause on the other line. "It won't come to that Toshi." How Toshinori wished he could have Brian's conviction. "But, yeah, by all means. Especially considering how close you three are, and all," there was a (weak) teasing lilt in his friends voice. "Except…there is Peter to consider."

"Can you ask him the same question? And might as well give David a heads-up."

"Me?"

"I'd ask myself, but it's getting late on my end and…I'm pretty drained, to be honest." Saying goodbye to Izuku took more out of him than he wanted to admit.

"Ok…yeah, I'll give him a call."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Take care of yourself, Toshi."

"You too," the Japanese Hero replied, ending the call. Toshinori resisted the urge to crush his phone in frustration, settling for running a hand down his face. Well, it would appear that it was all up to him, Gran, and Nezu. Not the best odds, but he could work with them.

He glanced at the clock. It was just after seven. He wasn't sure if Inko had eaten yet, but it was only polite to ask before he locked himself in his room with the reports Nezu had sent him.

The door was closed. Pushing down his nervousness, he knocked twice. "Inko. I was wondering if you wanted to have something to eat?"

There was a small clattering from behind the door, and Inko partially opened it not seconds later. She peeked out the opening, a sad smile on her face, "Thank you, Toshinori, but I don't have much of an appetite."

He sent her what he hoped was a confident smile. "It's no problem! I'll be just down the hall. If you need anything, please, don't hesitate to knock!"

She nodded, but said nothing else, closing the door. Toshinori let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he walked to his room.

He _really_ should have thought all this through.

/+/+/+/+/

When Toshinori awoke the next morning, he was a little surprised to see that Inko was up, wringing her hands as she stared a little helplessly at his kitchen. He cleared his throat, and she turned around with a small yelp.

"Toshinori!" she said, "I thought about making some breakfast, but," she blushed, playing with her fringe, "…I don't know where anything is."

Toshinori chuckled, "I figured." He gestured to the fridge, "That's pretty empty, unfortunately—just milk and some juices and sodas." He walked forward, gesturing to leftmost cabinets, "I mostly stock easy-make, non-perishable kinds of foods. Cereal, oatmeal, ramen—just about the only Japanese 'meal' I stock." Inko giggled. "Yeah, I don't really eat much here. And in here," he opened the middle cabinets, "are the cutlery and such." He clicked his tongue, "Not the best amenities, I know. In hindsight, I should have bought some more food, or at least asked what you preferred." He turned to ask her what she'd prefer of his meagre offerings, only to pause at her wide-eyed stare. But she wasn't staring at his face. She was staring at his chest.

He looked down, grunting at the bit of his scar peeking out from under his shirt. He lowered his arm, clearing his throat, "Uh, sorry about that."

Inko hadn't moved, her eyes trailing his scar under his shirt. "I…I never really considered how bad it is."

Toshinori blushed, scratching his neck, "It's fine."

"It's black, Toshinori!" she admonished.

"It looks worse than it is, trust me."

She ignored him, biting her lower lip. "How are you still alive?" she whispered.

"Magic."

"I'm serious!"

"So am I," he replied, holding his hands out. As her face softened, he said, "Dr. Strange—have you heard of him?"

Inko furrowed her brow, "I think…yes, Izuku's mentioned him once or twice." She fixed him with a mock frown, "By the way, next time you pull keep Izuku from home to meet a couple of illegal visitors, I'd appreciate a heads-up."

Toshinori blushed, pulling at his collar, "Er…right. I suppose he would have told you about that."

"He did," Inko's lips curled into a soft smile, "I swear, he might have been more excited over meeting him and Spider-Man than the Sports Festival." Toshinori chuckled—he wasn't able to be with them during the rest of the Sports Festival, but he could believe it. Unfortunately, recalling the festival brought the following events to the front of his mind. To Inko's mind too, given her melancholy sigh. She shook her head, a polite smile on her face, "So…Dr. Strange is some sort of wizard?"

"He's the Sorcerer Supreme," Toshinori corrected her. He had to take a moment to remember why they were talking about him. " _The_ wizard, as it were. Anyway, after my," his throat clenched, "my last battle with All for One I was in a…bad shape." He pressed a hand against the center of his scar, "I lost…at least half a lung, most of my digestive track, and all my ribs." Inko gasped, cupping her mouth with both hands. "I…I don't doubt that I wouldn't have been healed—Recovery Girl, at least, wouldn't have let me die. But," he smiled, "Gran went a step further. He called—" he caught himself—Peter hadn't given his permission yet, "…Some close friends, to see if they knew anyone that could heal me."

"And one of them knew Dr. Strange?"

"Along with another American Hero. An X-Man called Elixir—who I doubt even Izuku would know."

"Don't say that," Inko giggled, "He just might surprise you."

"True," Toshinori smiled back at her. He tore his eyes away from her smile, frowning at his scar, "It was…rough, even with their impressive healing abilities. My own Quirk fought against them."

"How do you mean?"

"By all accounts, I should have died that day," he said, grave, but sincere. "But One for All…it does more than just make you stronger." Inko nodded. "Somehow, someway, it was keeping my alive. Forcing my heart to keep beating, despite the fact that my chest was little more than a bloody tunnel. And then, Dr. Strange and Elixir come in, and regrew my destroyed body parts."

"People can do that?!"

"Not normally," Toshinori shrugged, "I'm pretty sure Elixir's powers aren't potent enough to do _that_ much. But Dr. Strange certainly could. Especially when he owes someone a favor."

"You?"

"A friend," Toshinori said, lips spreading into a smile. Peter always did get himself in the oddest situations. And came out with the strangest rewards. "Anyway, they did their job, but something…happened." He frowned, "I'm still not sure why, but One for All…panicked, for lack of a better word."

"What do you mean?"

Toshinori shrugged, "My organs and bones were regrown wholesale. That might've…worried it, I suppose."

"You make it sound as though its alive."

"Ah, nothing like that," Toshinori smirked, "It's just instinct, you know? One minute I was more hole than man, the next, a wizard and a mutant basically turned back the clock and made so my injury never happened."

"Well," Inko hummed, "I guess that'd be weird."

"Yeah. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the fix either of them thought it would be."

Inko hummed, "Your pills?"

Toshinori nodded, "Activating my Quirk…reminds it, I suppose, of what happened. And it starts attacking my regrown body parts."

"Like an overactive immune system."

"Almost exactly," Toshinori nodded. He looked down at his hands, "My medicine suppresses the violent response, but if I don't keep on it," he clenched his fists, "it's a fight to summon even the smallest bit of strength." They stood in silence, eventually broken by Toshinori's chuckles.

"What's so funny?" Inko asked.

"Oh," Toshinori leaned against the counter, "it's just…I haven't even told Izuku the full extent of my injuries and recovery. I don't think I've even been this honest with Gran."

"Oh," Inko blinked, cheeks coloring a bit. "Well…thank you"

"You're welcome," he smiled at her, and she smiled back. Until her stomach grumbled; then, she was blushing for a completely different reason.

Toshinori held back a laugh, "So, what would you like? Cereal, oatmeal? I really need to get something more substantial—rice and eggs, at least," he grumbled to himself.

"Do you have any vanilla or cinnamon?"

"Uh…maybe." He set down a couple bowls, moving towards his meagre spice-rack "Why?"

Inko shrugged, reaching into the 'food cabinet' and taking out the oatmeal. "It's something I had sometimes when I went to university. Oatmeal with a little cinnamon or vanilla." She sighed, "It'll do until I can get my hands on some proper foodstuffs."

"Oatmeal's a fine food!"

"Barely."

/+/+/+/+/

_Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spi_ —

"Peter!" Toshinori cheerfully answered the phone.

"Hey Toshi!" came Peter's rushed reply. "Listen I'm running late on a…dozen things—Mayday put that down! Your mom will kill me if I let you blow up the apartment again—so I'm gonna make this quick. First, Jackal's not in New York. But I don't think he's in Japan either. From what I could tell, he's gone underground."

Toshinori furrowed his brow, "Wouldn't he need to maintain whatever cloning facilities he created for All for One?"

"Nah," Peter replied. "Jackal likes to automatize his facilities. Once he gets the actual machines running, the only thing left to do is tinker with the DNA of his victims. And something tells me All for One doesn't need any pointers on that. That Nomu thing was probably a proof-of-concept before he went for bigger projects." That…Toshinori wasn't sure if that was true or not. He couldn't imagine that All for One actually cared about the intricacies of his Quirk. From what he knew of the man, he only cared about results. How quickly he could achieve his goals, and how much damage he could cause doing them.

But Jackal's work ethic did raise a chilling though. "So…All for One's probably already cloned himself, then?" Dear god he hoped not. Toshinori's only chance was to catch All for One off guard and burn everything to the ground. He wasn't a fool—if All for One managed to erase whatever damage Toshinori caused to him all those years ago, he wouldn't stand a chance. To say nothing of Izuku, who, while stronger, was even less prepared for All for One than Toshinori was.

"Doubt it," Peter replied, cutting off Toshinori's spiral into despair. "Don't know if you're aware, but Quirks are tough to clone."

Toshinori blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Whatever triggers the Quirk gene isn't easily simulated in an artificial environment. I still have to look into it, but I'm pretty sure that Nomu thing only gets a pass because it's DNA was already jacked up to hell. It's believed that there needs to be a certain range of background radiation within the womb while a fetus gestates to activate a Quirk gene, and depending on the mutation, may not manifest until four years later. The X-gene works in much the same way, but the necessary amount of background radiation can also be received after the child is born and can take at least a decade to trigger in some cases."

"…How do you know all this?"

"I'm a nerd."

"That's fair," Toshinori chuckled.

"Damn straight. Oh, and about the Midoriyas. You trust them?"

Toshinori didn't have to think of his answer. "I do."

"Cool—I mean, it figures. You're living together with a son, after all."

Toshinori blushed deep enough to feel steam coming out of his ears. "I-It's not like—"

"Whatever," Peter cut him off. "But listen to me, Toshi. History's not going to repeat itse—"

"I've gotta go Peter," Toshinori none-too-subtly cut his friend off, "Nice talking with you."

"Yeah, same he—Mayday, what did I sa—" there was a muffled 'boom' just before the call ended. Toshinori chuckled, putting the phone away. Well, that was one load off his shoulders. Now he just had to figure out how to broach the topic of his friends to Inko.

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori had fallen into a routine over the next few days Inko stayed at his apartment—after a quick trip to the market to get what she'd deemed 'appropriate' food. He'd wake up very early in the morning to go out on patrol (one of the only times he could go out without being harassed by the public) and return just in time for Inko to wake up and make breakfast. They'd share that meal, and then they'd lock themselves in their rooms until lunch. Following that, if Toshinori wasn't drained from trying to detangle All for One's veritable swamp of connections and false leads, after eating dinner (and speaking with Izuku and Gran to catch up) he'd go out for a late-night patrol, before crawling into bed.

Aside from their meals and the calls to Izuku, they didn't spend all that much time together. Which couldn't stand. Toshinori knew he needed to do more. Inko deserved it. So, he forced himself to take a break from detangling All for One's trail (and from cursing himself a fool for not burning the bastard's corpse himself and flushing the ashes down the drain) and sought out Inko.

It was about an hour before they normally had lunch, so he figured they'd have time to talk and…stuff. He hoped he was managing to keep a straight face, because his heart was beating a mile a minute.

He knocked on the door, "Inko, are you busy?"

She answered the door in seconds, "No, what? Is something wrong?"

Toshinori stared at her—she had her hair up in a bun and was wearing a loose blue shirt. He gulped, "Ah, I just have some free time and was wondering if you'd, uh, like some company."

She blinked, "Oh! Thank you, Toshi. But I've got my own work—I don't want to bore you."

"I don't mind!" Toshinori blurted out. He blushed in time with her, "I mean, it's fine. I just…" he trailed off, ears burning.

Inko's blush receded a bit, and she averted her gaze, playing with the hem of her shirt. "Well…it is your apartment…"

At her hesitant voice, Toshinori sobered up instantly—even as his heart plummeted. "Inko. If you don't want me around—"

"I didn't say that!" she cried, eyes wide and arms flailing—it was nice to see where Izuku got his quirks from. She stepped to the side, "Please…come in…"

When he did so, his eyes widened at the large mess of papers strewn about her bed, her laptop in the middle of the only clear space. He peered at them, "Is that…French?"

Inko nodded, "I translate manuals—in and out-going from Japan."

"Anything other than French?"

"Japanese, obviously. English—one of the few things I've been able to help Izuku with over the years," she tried to smile, but there was a despairing tinge to her voice. Before Toshinori could refute her statement—there was no way Izuku would have turned out the way he had if not for her—she continued, "and there's some Mandarin, Russian and German stuff sprinkled in."

"Russian?" Toshinori couldn't help but blurt out.

"Udivlonny?"

Toshinori chuckled, "Sorry, the only Russian I know is 'umere svim'wa'."

Inko giggled, "I think you meant to say, 'umeret' svin'ya'."

"Sure. What's it mean?"

She giggled once more, "Die pig."

"Really? Man," he crossed his arms, "and here I thought it was something cool." Inko giggled, and Toshinori managed to keep himself floating away at the sound. "So," he crossed his arms, "why such an eclectic mix of languages?"

Inko sighed, growing wistful, "Well, I always had an easy time learning other languages. When I was younger, I wanted to travel the world—I figured knowing as many languages as possible would help with that."

"Did you?" Maybe, Toshinori thought, they'd been in America at the same time, just a turn of the head away from meeting one another. Toshinori dismissed the notion within seconds—even if they'd, somehow, met, he wouldn't have been able to give a her the attention she deserved.

"That was the plan." Her wistful smile wider, "It's why I fell in love with Hiashi." She blinked, a blush blooming to life on her features, "Er…"

"It's fine," Toshinori said, "I know so little about him, but if you don't want to talk about him, I don't mind." He really would like to know more about him—if only to figure out why he didn't stay when he had Inko and Izuku in his life.

"Well," Inko sat down on the bed, "we met during a French language course at the University of Tokyo. Then again at a German course. And a Mandarin course."

"And a Russian one?"

"No. He took Spanish—the coward." She sighed, leaning back against the headboard. "The two of us…we just clicked. We both wanted to travel, both liked to learn foreign languages, and there was something appealing about doing it with someone you liked—later loved."

"…That does sound nice." It wasn't until he'd grown close to Izuku—and later Inko—that he wondered if he'd been missing something like that in his life.

"We got married almost immediately after we graduated. We managed to wriggle our way into getting jobs with Mitsubishi and were on a fast track to getting ourselves sent all over the world on the company's time and money, eventually settling down somewhere else—anywhere else." Inko closed her eyes, no doubt basking the memories of her young, newlywed life.

Toshinori hated having to drag her out of it. "…What changed?"

Inko slowly opened her eyes, and she sent Toshinori a knowing smile, "What do you think? I got pregnant."

Toshinori's throat tightened, "Did…Did Hiashi not wa—"

"No!" Inko shouted. As Toshinori jerked back, she cleared her throat, "No. Hiashi wanted children just as much as I did. But it wasn't until after we confirmed that we were having a baby that we found out we didn't agree on how to raise them."

"How do you mean?"

Inko hummed, clasping her hands over her lap. "I'll admit it, I put my dream on hold—eventually doing away with it entirely. I didn't want to raise a baby while travelling everywhere—or worse, leave them behind to grow up without me. Hiashi agreed with that—he didn't think it would be all that healthy either. But he wanted to compromise by us skipping ahead a few steps—moving to another country as soon as possible. I didn't want that."

"Why not?"

"Honestly?" Inko bit her bottom lip, "I was…afraid. Moving to another country wholesale would have been tough enough; learning the culture, adapting to the differences. Raising a baby on top of that? I didn't think I could handle that—I didn't want to risk damaging my child somehow." She scoffed, "Pathetic, right?"

"I don't think so. You wanted what was best for your child—the same as all loving mothers."

She smiled at him, making his heart flutter. "…Anyway, Hiashi and I argued about it. He kept on bringing up our promises to each other, and I told him that none of that should matter in the face of our child's wellbeing." She gulped, looking down at her hands, "He agreed with me, in the end. But he wasn't happy. He didn't get angry or anything—I wasn't worried about that. But he was just so…sad. It tore my heart in two to see him like that. So, I told Hiashi that he, at least, could live out our dream." She smiled once more, "And for a while, I thought we could make it work."

"…What happened?"

"Hiashi," Inko's lips thinned into a line, "he'd get…stir-crazy. Even after Izuku was born, he'd be looking forward for the next trip—the next experience. But he'd…he'd stay with us anyway." She shook her head, "He'd force himself to be with us, really. He couldn't hide it, no matter how much he wanted to. I guess that's when the spark really died between us." She shrugged, "I could have dealt with it, but," she teared-up, voice cracking, "I was…I was worried that he'd end up resenting Izuku. Even subconsciously." She started to shudder, and Toshinori moved over to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. "So, when he was given an offer to move to Canada, I told him to take it…We divorced a year later."

Toshinori bit his lip, reaching over and grabbing a box of tissues. He waited until she cleaned up a little before, somewhat lamely, he could admit, saying, "Sorry for making you dredge that up."

"It's fine," Inko replied, wiping her eyes, "It's an old part of my life."

He gulped, "Does…Does Izuku know about this?"

"Yes," Inko said. She looked like she was going to cry again, "The last time Hiashi talked to Izuku, it was to make sure he knew that his being Quirkless wasn't the reason he left."

Toshinori clenched his fists, "And he didn't think to come back?"

"We talked about it," Inko said with a slow nod, "But…we were hesitant to try and make things work again…I should have pushed harder for it." Both of them should have, Toshinori thought. But though he felt no small amount of frustration towards Hiashi, he couldn't drum up the same for Inko. The benefit of bias, he supposed.

He turned away, looking down at his hands. Inko had opened up to him, it was only fair that he opened up to her. He stood up, "If you're not going to be busy, after lunch, do you think we can sit together in the main room?"

Inko tilted her head, "Uh…sure."

"Alright." Toshinori sent her his best smile—not the wide, toothy grin he gave to the public, "Thanks for opening up to me."

"Thanks for being open for me to open up to," Inko smiled back.

/+/+/+/+/

Lunch was a somewhat subdued affair. Inko, it seemed, was still stuck in the mire of her memories. So much so that Toshinori was worried that she might decline his invitation. But after he put the dishes away, she just made her way to the couch, staring at the high-tech box at the coffee table.

He cleared his throat, sitting down next to her, "This was a gift from Tony Stark—a way to keep all my important, or incriminating, things safe." He leaned over, pressing a button on the side and saying "Octa".

"Eight?" Inko arched a brow as the box hissed open. "What does—oh, I get it."

Toshinori shrugged, "Keep it simple, you know?" He reached into the box. The first few items were photographs of him, Izuku, and Inko (either alone or all together). Inko grabbed the one they'd taken of Izuku, after he delivered Izuku's U.A. acceptance letter. She laughed at his tear-stained smile, "I thought he was going to pass out—either from sheer joy or dehydration."

"You weren't far behind on that front."

"What can I say," Inko shrugged, "we're criers."

Toshinori chuckled, sifting through the box, "…Ah, here we are!" He took out two photos—one carefully hidden behind the other. He smiled at the photo of him, Peter, Brian, and David, arms around each other, standing in front of the Captain America section of New York's Museum of Natural History. It was a good day—crime was relatively low, there weren't any sort of crises on the horizon, no exams or projects to turn in. Just an easy, lazy day with his friends.

He missed those times.

"Hm…" Inko leaned closer to the photo, "Well, I recognize you, and David." She tilted her head, "And…are those your other roommates from America? Er…Brian and Peter?"

"Yeah," he nodded. He pointed to his fellow blonde, "That's Brian," and the other brunette, "and that's Peter."

"They look nice," Inko said.

"They're the best."

"Back in America," Inko began, lips curled into a pensive frown, "you were, technically, a Vigilante, right?"

Toshinori arched a brow; Inko was fairly neutral on Vigilantes, and like most of Japan (until recently) liked to ignore his 'checkered past'. "That's right," he said.

"This would have been…just after Nana died, right?"

"…Yeah." Toshinori reached deeper into the box. He pulled out one of the few photographs he had of him and Nana together—the day he received his first Hero uniform. Gran was there as well, but he refused to be photographed with, what he called, 'a pathetic attempt at cultural appropriation' (didn't stop him from ruffling Toshinori's hair with a fond grin).

Inko stared down at the picture, eyes beginning to well up with tears, "Oh…she looks so proud of you."

Back then, Toshinori thought the same. But after spending so much time with Izuku, he couldn't help but wonder how much of Nana's affection was her displacing her love for her son onto him (something that made him sick to think about but had nonetheless forced itself into his mind more often than not). He pushed the thought aside, like so many others of her and their past, smiling as he said, "It was the first big step towards me becoming a Hero in my own right." He traced a finger along the edge of the photo—Nana died two months after that day.

He shook his head before he could get lost in past sorrow—he didn't take this box out to cry over old wounds. He held the picture of his friends back up, "You know, speaking of Vigilantes." He put Nana's photo on the table, reaching into the box, and pulling out a Daily Bugle clipping of him, Captain Britain, and Spider-Man battling the Circus of Crime.

Inko quirked a brow at the colorful Villains. "Um…who are they?"

"They call themselves the Circus of Crime."

Inko failed to hide a giggle behind her hand, "What?"

"Alliteration—Westerners adore that kind of thing." He held the picture up, "Anyway, Spider-Man and Captain Britain count among my closest allies." His lips spread into a wide smile, "Fighting alongside those two, I felt like I could handle anything the world could throw my way."

"So…they're good people?"

"The best," Toshinori declared. "I trust them with my life…And," he gulped, "I'd trust them with your and Izuku's lives."

Inko reared back, eyes widening, "W-What are you saying?"

"I know I promised that I would live, but I…I'm afraid that I might not be able to live up to that promise." Inko sniffed, leaning forward and pressing a hand against his arm. "So, I reached out to these men—the closest things I have to brothers—and asked if they'd be willing to help you should things take a turn for the worse." He tried to plaster a smile on his face, "And they've agreed!"

"Toshinori," Inko set her face into a frown, "I…I don't think—"

"Please," he cut her off, voice cracking, "Inko I…Every day, it seems as if history is going to repeat itself. But I'm in a much different place than Nana was all those years ago. Gran and I had to scramble to find a way to keep me safe—I don't want you and Izuku to have to deal with that." Inko didn't say anything, but he could see the fear in her eyes. He turned away before he could lose his nerve. "To that end, it's only fair that I tell you who Spider-Man and Captain Britain actually are."

That chased the fear out of Inko's eyes, bewilderment taking its place. "Is…Is that allowed?"

"Well, Captain Britain is a government agent, so technically dozens upon hundreds of people already have access to that information. Spider-Man's still pretty guarded about his civilian life, but he gave me the okay."

Inko blinked, "Uh…why?"

Toshinori blushed a little, remembering Peter's and Brian's remarks, but said, "They understands how much it means to me."

Inko was silent, staring back at the picture. Finally, she nodded, "Alright then, who are they?"

Toshinori smirked, bringing back the photograph of him, Peter, Brian, and David. He pointed to Brian, "Captain Britain," to Peter, "Spider-Man."

Inko froze, eyes widening and darting back-and-forth between the two pictures. "Wha—Well, I should have guessed with the hair, I suppose. How did I not see that?" She narrowed her eyes at Toshinori, "How did people not tell who _you_ were?"

Toshinori chuckled, calling upon One for All and, in perfect English, said, "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." He shrank back down as Inko giggled. "Brian did nothing though—he always said he changed his accent but none of us believed him. But he's also magic, so that probably helped him out. Until the answer stared you in the face, at least."

"Magic," Inko deadpanned.

"It has its uses."

She shook her head, "Does David moonlight in tights as well?"

"No, he's normal. Mostly." He shrugged, "David helps Peter out with his gear and such."

"Well," she sighed, "don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I don't have to meet them until All for One is dealt with."

"Yeah," Toshinori nodded, staring down at his past, carefree self, "me too,"

/+/+/+/+/

**A/N: This was supposed to be one chapter, until it wasn't. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


	2. Chapter 2

Getting Closer—Crossing the Line

**Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated characters, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi**

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori barely paid the criminal he slapped into the wall a glance, focusing on the young couple cowering behind the dumpster. The criminal, a young woman who had spikes growing out of her body, slumped to the ground, dropping her stolen goods—a purse, a wallet, and a watch. Keeping a firm grip on her left shoulder (crushing some of the spikes. Toshinori hoped that didn't cause any permanent damage) he bent down, gathering the items. He held out his arm, a smile on his lips as he said, "It's alright! You're safe now."

The couple rose to their feet, and Toshinori managed to keep his smile on his face as they swiped their items, hurrying away without another word. God, it felt like he was back in New York. After making sure the criminal was out cold, he leapt into the air, heading towards the nearest police station.

There were two officers smoking just outside the building. He landed in front of them, startling them. He dropped the criminal in front of them, "Just stopped her from mugging two people five blocks north." He gave them more information but couldn't help but be distracted by the wary glares they sent his way. The one on the left's hand was hovering towards her revolver. God, he really _was_ back in New York.

Resisting the urge to scoff, he bid them a quick farewell, leaping into the air. He stopped atop a skyscraper about a mile away, sitting on the edge of the roof. He stared out at the moon, resisting the urge to tear up—he knew that he was at odds with the country at large, but he didn't think it went so far that the police felt unsafe around him. He broke the law—the spirit, if not the letter—yes. But he wasn't responsible for what Stain had said, no matter how much that madman professed to admire him.

Maybe he should have been sterner during that press conference.

/+/+/+/+/

"…Akaguro Chizome does not speak for me. I do not, nor have I ever, approved of his monstrous actions." Toshinori made sure to stare out into the sea of reporters and officials. He didn't have his usual smile on his face—the current situation wasn't something he could, nor should, district from with a show of teeth and cheesy expression. "His call for chaos and civil unrest works to demolish years of me and my colleagues' work done in the name of peace and security." He'd have to give his speech writer a raise—assuming she didn't find work with another agency soon. Not that he would blame her—or anyone else—that did so. His agency's employees didn't deserve to go down along with him.

He read through the rest of his prepared speech, making sure to keep any weariness out of his voice. Sometimes, he hated his fame. It was days like this, stuck behind a podium with dozens of cameras, that he could readily understand why Nana and Gran chose to stick to the shadows when they were in their prime. But he knew that his public image inspired people—civilians and Heroes alike.

Of course, that image was darkening every day.

"…And I am truly sorry that I had to drag U.A. into this. It is a noble institution that should not be sullied by such dreadful matters." He finished his speech with a short bow. He managed not to wince as the audience burst to life, bombarding him with questions.

"All Might!" one reporter, with a megaphone for a head, shouted above the rest, "There's a fear of a Vigilante uprising to follow in light of recent events. How will you combat this?"

Toshinori nodded at the woman, "There is a great deal of confusion out there these days. But I know that people's inner goodness will shine through, and we will pull through."

"But what do you have to say in response to these potential criminals?"

Toshinori fought to keep a frown off of his face, "I think it's unfair to label any people as criminals when they haven't done anything wrong."

"So, you approve of Vigilante actions?" A hush fell over the crowd.

Well, he ran right into that one.

He knew what he was expected to say; Vigilantism is inexcusable and needed to be punished accordingly; that his previous Vigilantism in America were the actions of a dumb, misguided youth. Too bad that would be a lie.

Lying was the easy option though. The safe option. Gran would push him to lie. As would Brian. Even Peter, who was still technically a Vigilante, would tell him to lie and get it over with. But he'd never done so before. Hell, he'd gone out of his way to help Vigilantes before (albeit in disguise).

Murmurs broke out among the crowd, more than a few people starting to frown at him.

No one would blame him, he knew. It would probably help him out, iron out a few of the wrinkles that had popped up in his life. And yet…

_Fwoosh_

A tornado appeared three blocks away.

Oh, thank god.

Toshinori flashed his widest smile, "I'm afraid I'll have to cut this interview short!" and leapt over the crowd and their protests.

/+/+/+/+/

He'd avoided cameras after that disastrous day. Gran and Nezu had called him an idiot and told him that if he'd just lie everyone's lives would be easier, if only a little bit. But he couldn't. He refused to turn his back on the good men and women that did their part to keep the world safe, even if it was outside of what was considered legal.

In the future that would just become a bigger problem. Assuming he lived that long.

He fell back, staring up at the night sky. After his brutal fight with All for One, he knew, with his injury, his time was limited. He didn't really mind. He'd killed (at least, he thought he had) All for One, ending his decades long reign of terror. He'd avenged the death of Nana, their predecessors, and countless others. It did hurt, to think about the friends he would leave behind, but he considered his life complete.

But then he met Izuku, and he realized how much he had been missing out on. How much he actually had to lose.

He dropped a hand to his scar, grimacing at the numb pressure shooting up his body. Dr. Strange had told him, once, that it might have been possible to do away with the scar and the grief it caused him by remaking his body from the ground up. But doing so would most likely get rid of One for All as well—he wasn't born with it, after all.

At first, he rejected it wholesale. He'd earned the right to use One for All and, admittedly, gotten high of the (false) rush of killing All for One. He might have needed to cut back on grand, public appearances, but he could still do good work. Great work.

It wasn't until he'd met Izuku that he reconsidered the procedure. Perhaps a few years after the boy really landed on his feet and carved his own path in the world. Maybe then, Toshinori could officially retire, live out the rest of his days without any pain (sometimes, he imagined Inko standing beside him).

But that was just a pipedream, now. All for One cheated death, and Toshinori would be damned if he left that monster alive to torment Izuku as he had Toshinori. He'd just have to live with the scar for the rest of his life. However long or short that life was.

Toshinori groaned, pressing the heels of his palms against his temples. He had to stop worrying so much about all that—he'd be greyer than Gran before the end of the month. He just needed to trust in his own strength, and that he and his allies could keep ahead of All for One long enough to finally end him.

He sat up, rolling his shoulders, "Ok, enough brooding. Back into the thick of it!"

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori tried not to roll his eyes as the police none-too-subtly looked over their shoulders as they took in the crooks for booking. He might have to start taking a page out of Peter's old playbook, and just dump people in front of police stations with a business card. Ah, but unlike Peter, he actually had to tell the police where and why he picked people up, unless he wanted to be arrested himself.

He'd just have to deal with it.

He leapt away, pulling out his phone to check the time. Ten twenty-two—as decent a time as any to turn in. Inko might still be up by the time he got back apartment—she and Izuku had a bad habit of talking for hours on end that neither Toshinori nor Gran had the heart to break them out of. Well, she might still be up to say goodnight to him.

Toshinori gulped, his stomach doing flips. Having someone waiting up to say goodnight to him…it really made a world of difference. For better or worse.

God, how would it feel when Izuku was staying with them?

_Bwa-Boom_

Toshinori twisted in midair, frowning at the pillar of smoke rising in the air a few blocks away. With a soft hum, he landed on the side of a skyscraper, leaping off of it towards the potential disaster. There was a crowd around the building, a group of Heroes pushing them away from the structure. The first level's glass was all broken, fires roaring, smoke floating into the air, but it was stable, at least. Some sort of explosion, no doubt. The real question, of course, was whether or not it was intentional.

Another, smaller explosion half a block away from the first answered that question.

He landed on a small office building, looking down to see a bald man in tattered, smoky clothes running away from a trio of Heroes. At least, Toshinori assumed he was bald—within seconds, a small bit of pale fuzz sprouted from the man's head. He ran his hands through his hair, shaving it all off and clumping it together like clay before throwing it—ah, now he got it.

Toshinori leapt down in the C4's path, catching and sealing it in both hands, just barely suppressing a wince when the explosive detonated. The criminal's eyes widened, and he no doubt would have started cursing up a storm, had Toshinori not dashed forward and slammed him against a dumpster. Nodding when the man crumpled into a heap, he turned to the Heroes to offer a short farewell before leaving them to take the credit (even before his current bit of infamy, his colleagues would get so stingy over such things).

Toshinori froze upon seeing the Heroes, recognizing two of them—a man wrapped in bandages and a woman with flaming, yellow hair—as Endeavor's partners. Great, of all the people…

Toshinori resisted the urge to shake his head, "Hope you don't mind!" he called, reaching down and picking up the unconscious criminal. "I was just taking a stroll."

The other two Heroes shifted their attention to the burning woman—Toshinori wished he could remember her name. She went through a variety of facial expressions (bewilderment threatening to take hold more than once) before settling on a fierce grin. "All Might!" She exclaimed, "Need to start poaching now?" Her teammates flinched (so did she, but not as visibly as them).

Toshinori's smile grew a touch more forced. He decided against any small-talk (god forbid he run into Endeavor himself) and tossed the crook at their feet. He turned on his heel, crouching down in preparation of a large leap (and if he kicked up a large amount of dust in his wake, it was no skin off his nose).

Only for another explosion from the smoking building to catch his attention.

He course-corrected, leaping backwards over the other Heroes and onto the rooftops. He reached the building in seconds, cursing at the burning hole where the southeast corner of the building used to be. Had he done that? Did the criminal leave more clumps of explosives, and knocking him out detonated them? Or were that already going to explode? Or perhaps—

Toshinori cut off that train of thought with a growl. Now wasn't the time to beat himself up. He needed to get down there and see what—

_Crrr-Shhh_

He sucked in a breath as the building started to shake, people starting to scream as they realized the building was beginning to fall down. Toshinori leapt down in seconds, breaking through the crowd and scanning through the ruined building. Where…Where…There!

With a sharp grunt, Toshinori stopped underneath the broken load-bearing beam, shooting his arms up and holding it up. His scar burned, screaming as he stretched it too far too fast, but he ignored it, calling upon more of All for One's power to keep the building from falling down.

"All Might!"

"Of course," Toshinori sighed. He looked over his shoulder, smiling at the ever-frowning Endeavor. "Endeavor!" he shouted. "How's it going?"

The Flame Hero's frown deepened into a scowl, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by the desk that crashed down in front of him. Endeavor clenched his fists, the flames on his face growing brighter before, through clenched teeth, he said, "How long can you keep this up?"

Toshinori hummed, tilting his head up at the broken beam, "Long enough. Is there anyone still in the building?"

"My sidekicks were sweeping the upper floors before the building broke apart. They're fine," he gruffly preempted Toshinori's question. "But they're stuck up there with a handful of civilians."

"Ah, that reminds me," Toshinori shifted, trying to ease a bit of the pressure on his scarred side, "I left the person that caused all this with three of your partners." Toshinori didn't expect Endeavor to greet the news with cheer, but he could have done without the sneer. Rolling his eyes, Toshinori said, "Don't suppose you've already put in a call with Cementoss or Thirteen or some other rescue specialist?"

"Cementoss is on his way." Endeavor stepped forward, glaring up at the ruined ceiling, "But no sense in leaving him with all the work." The flames around his face grew hotter, "Don't move," he commanded as he pushed through the wreckage, using his powers to either weld broken pillars together, or burn debris to ash.

Toshinori clicked his tongue, "I don't know, my nose is starting to itch." He chuckled at his own poor joke. A much more pleasant reaction than Endeavor's low growl. Toshinori let out a huff but didn't make another crack. Endeavor's moods ranged from 'surly' to 'pissed' and, unfortunately, his fire powers could respond to those emotions. But he wasn't going to spend upwards of twenty minutes just standing around in silence.

So, he decided on a much more positive (he hoped) topic of conversation. "Hey," he waited until Endeavor deigned to look over his shoulder, "I hear you've taken to U.A. like a duck to water."

Endeavor's flames died down a touch, the Hero fully turning around. He arched a fiery brow, "Oh? Where'd you hear that?"

Something in Endeavor's voice made him pause, but Toshinori shrugged it off. "It's on the news at least once a day."

Endeavor hummed, "I suppose you could've heard it from there." What the hell did that mean? "Regardless," he continued, his scowl returning, "I refuse to take credit for anything that arises from your screw-up."

Well, if that's what Endeavor wanted to talk about. "Believe me, I never intended for any of this to occur."

"No?" Endeavor spat, returning to his previous task. "Are you sure?"

Toshinori's smile vanished. "I've only ever wanted to keep people safe, Endeavor."

"You've got a piss-poor way of showing it!" the other Hero hissed, the flames on his face bursting outward as he stomped towards Toshinori.

"It's a different way."

"A Vigilante way," Endeavor countered. To that, Toshinori had no rebuttal. Something Endeavor must have taken personally, given the way he got up in Toshinori's face with a low growl, heat rolling off of him in waves. But what could Toshinori say? He did skirt around the law. He was, with a handful of allies, acting in secret to stop All for One before he could restart his empire. If it came to it, he would implicitly break the law if it meant Izuku didn't have to live with the threat of All for One hanging around his neck.

But he couldn't tell Endeavor any of that. He couldn't tell anyone about it. The more people that knew, the greater risk there was of All for One's existence spreading to the public. Of his abilities spreading out into the world.

Japan could feign isolationism all it wanted, but god only knew what desperate and greedy fools would come running towards a man that could craft them personal armies. And, unlike the more aloof megalomaniacs out there, would delight in doing so.

"Excuse me," a gravely, if nervous, voice cut in, "but I've arrived."

Toshinori and Endeavor both turned to see Cementoss, who was shifting his gaze between Toshinori and Endeavor. The Flame Hero scoffed, sending Toshinori one final glare before exiting the destroyed section of the building.

Toshinori nodded at Cementoss, "Ready?" The Hero nodded (which, given his blocky form, was more like a shallow bow), getting on one knee, pressing his hand against the ground. "On three. One…Two…Three!" Toshinori let go of the pillar, jumping aside as Cementoss created a large, thick cement pillar where he stood. The building shuddered a bit but held as Cementoss created more pillars, strategically supporting the broken roof.

Toshinori sighed in relief, letting his arms fall to his side. He then hissed when his left arm pressed a bit too hard against his scar, quickly raising it up.

"Are you…okay?" Cementoss asked.

Honestly, no. But he and Cementoss were no longer colleagues, and he didn't have to burden him with his worries (not that he had when they were, but still).

He plastered a smile on his face, "All's well, my friend!" He started walking past him, giving him a short salute, "Take care!"

"All Might." Toshinori stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder. Cementoss stared at him through narrowed eyes (well, more narrowed than usual). "Are you truly well?"

Toshinori looked the other Hero over. Even with through his stiff layer of cement, Toshinori could see that the man was nervous at the attention. His smile shrank a touch, a bit of genuine fondness seeping through. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." He continued on his way without another word.

There was a steady murmur coming from outside the wreckage—Endeavor no doubt holding an impromptu interview. But, when Toshinori finally hit the open air, the sounds stopped. Everyone—from the civilians staring at the wreckage, the reporters all-but climbing over each other, Endeavor and his partners—stopped and stared at him. More than a few of them looked fearful.

Toshinori decided to call it a night.

He leapt high into the air, just as the reporters broke through the crowd's stupor and started clamoring for a quote.

He just needed to go home and get some sleep. And maybe have a quick chat with Inko about how Izuku was doing. And if she started lighting up when talking about her son, well, that was just a bonus.

/+/+/+/+/

Toshinori rolled his neck as he stepped out of the bathroom. A good long bath was just what the doctor ordered after the night he had. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Inko hadn't come out to greet him. Not that she had any obligation to—and it was pretty late—but they'd developed a little routine that he couldn't help but look forward to. Still, he figured he'd at least stop by her door and say goodnight.

But before he could even think of (softly) knocking on the door, he heard something. He frowned, leaning closer to the door. It sounded like…crying? Yes, yes Inko was crying.

Toshinori drew back, biting his lower lip. Had she been crying this whole time? God, he hoped she hadn't…Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door. "Inko?" She didn't answer. "Inko?" When he was once again ignored, he tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.

He poked his head through the door, "Inko? Are you okay?"

She was sitting on the floor, in the middle of a dozen pictures. She was wearing a blue nightgown, and her hair was loose over her shoulders. But what really caught Toshinori's attention was the despair in her eyes as she stared down at a particular picture in her hands—he could see it was a picture of a much younger Izuku. In fact, all the pictures were of Izuku.

Toshinori's throat went dry—he'd made a mistake. But before he could close the door and pretend nothing happened, Inko caught sight of him. He expected her to compose herself, or even outright tell him to leave her alone. Instead, she stared at him, tears still falling down her face, before turning back to the picture.

Toshinori beat down his anxiety, stepping through the door and closing it behind him. He slowly walked over to her, grabbing a box of tissues before sitting down beside her.

Inko accepted the offered box, wiping her face. She stopped crying, but still sniffled every few seconds. Toshinori hesitated for a moment, before placing a hand on her shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Inko sent him a watery smile, "Oh…it's just…" she held up the picture. Toshinori couldn't help but blush at the sight of a young—four-years-old at most—Izuku smiling at the camera, hugging an All Might toy (one of the first ones made of him, if Toshinori's memory was right). "I was looking through some old photos I brought with me. This one…" her smile grew wider, "Izuku just turned three. He'd always loved Heroes since he could understand what they were. He didn't have a favorite back then, he loved them all euqally. But then…I think it was the anniversary of your debut in Japan, because they were showing off this old footage of you saving people from that highway disaster." Toshinori remembered that day. He actually wasn't an official Pro-Hero at that point—there was still some paperwork to fill out. But he wasn't about to let an uncrossed 't' or undotted 'i' stop him from doing what was right. Inko's watery giggle brought him back to the present, "Izuku was speechless throughout the whole thing. And when it cut to commercial, he turned me with those wide, shining eyes of his and said, 'Mama, can I please get a toy of All Might?' It was the first time he said 'please' unprompted too!" Toshinori chuckled, setting Inko off into another round of giggles.

But it wasn't meant to last. Whatever cheer Inko gained was drained when she looked back at the picture. She started crying again, "I…It just sunk in tonight, as I was looking though these old photos. Izuku…Someone out there wants to hurt him. T-T-To kill him!" She collapsed against Toshinori, clutching his shirt and weeping into his chest. "A-All he ever wanted to do was help people! And now that he's finally able to, a monster dragged itself out of hell!"

Toshinori let Inko be, not daring to move a muscle as she vented her fears and anxieties. Only when she quieted to a whimper did he move, pushing her back by her shoulders and lifting her eyes to meet his. He almost broke at her despairing, bloodshot stare, but held firm.

"Inko," he said, "I am sorry." She didn't say anything, but her gaze did grow sharper. "This is my fault. Because of me—because of my failings as a Hero and his mentor—Izuku is in grave danger." Inko didn't say anything for or against his assertion, and he wasn't sure which he would have preferred. "But I swear to you," he leaned closer to her, faces barely a foot apart, "I will stop All for One. Izuku _will_ live! You will be able to watch him grow! Grow and become a great man, a great Hero!"

Inko started to tear up again, but managed to nod, her voice shaking as she said, "We both will."

Toshinori's heart beat faster—out of excitement for such a future, and the fear that he wouldn't be able to witness it. And, in all honesty, the sudden awareness of his proximity to Inko. But he was paralyzed with indecision—how could he push Inko like that, when she was distressed for her son? He wanted to embrace her, to get lost in her eyes, but did he deserve to? When he was the cause of her anguish? When he—!

His brain turned to mush when Inko moved forward, pressing her lips against his. Electricity shot up-and-down his body, forcing him into a much different kind of paralysis. Which must have upset Inko, given her whimper and attempt to pull back. Attempt, because Toshinori regained his senses just as Inko's lips left his, and he pulled her back, quickly reciprocating her desires.

The effect was instantaneous—she relaxed into his arms, letting him pull her onto his lap as he shifted around (careful of the pictures on the ground) to lean against her bed. God, had kissing someone always felt that good? She held his shirt in a death grip, while he trailed his hands down her back, delighting in her shivers. He felt like he was floating.

But he was sent crashing back to reality when she dug her hands under his shirt and pressed against his scar. Toshinori gasped—a pained once, despite his efforts to stifle it—and pulled away from her.

Inko pulled back as well, muffling a shriek with her hands. "Oh my god! I'm sorry!" She looked away, eyes wild, "I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking! Kissing you like that and oh my god, I hurt you—how could I do that?!"

"It's fine, I'm fine!" Toshinori hurried to assuage her. "It was just a…surprise, that's all." She sent him an incredulous stare. "I mean…you're the only person who's ever touched it aside from myself and a handful of doctors." He looked down with a bashful smile, "And, well…I wouldn't mind continuing the kissing."

Inko sent him an equally bashful smile, playing with the fringe of her hair, "N-Neither would I. But…I think the bed would be more comfortable."

Toshinori stared at her, his face splitting into a wide smile, "I couldn't agree more!" With a surge of energy, he grabbed onto her—one hand on the small of her back, the other riding up her nightgown and on her left thigh—rising to his feet.

"W-Wait!" Inko stammered. Toshinori paused, arching a brow. "You shouldn't strain yourself."

Toshinori chuckled, "Just because I don't look like a bodybuilder twenty-four-seven doesn't mean I can't do this."

"Not what I meant," Inko mumbled, pressing her forehead against Toshinori's chest—giving his scar a wide berth. He was a bit confused by her statement, until it clicked. He blinked—he didn't think—well, he wasn't about to go down that road.

Instead, he pressed a kiss against the top of her head. When Inko peeked up at him, he sent her his best smile and said, "You've never looked anything short of perfect to me."

She'd had a steady blush before, but now looked very much like a ripe tomato. She let out a nervous giggle, before leaning up and kissing his lips. "Okay, let's forget all of that, then!"

She grabbed onto his shoulders, dominating the kiss and forcing Toshinori back. He stumbled onto the bed, laughing at Inko's yelp. Not that he laughed for long, since she quickly resumed kissing him.

Inko broke the kiss, panting as she pulled back and fiddled with the buttons of her nightgown. "Um, before we really, you know…go at it," Toshinori couldn't help snort at her sudden shyness, "can we slow down a bit? I mean…it's been a while for me."

"It'll be a first for me," Toshinori replied.

Inko giggled—and boy, did he love the sound of that—before freezing. Her blush receded, her eyes widening. "Wait…did you say first?"

Now Toshinori blushed enough to match her previous look. "Uh…Yeah." He knew that it could be a source of mockery, at his age, and with his status. "There were a couple times…you know what, never mind." He may not have any experience, but even he was smart enough to know you don't bring up past…lovers, he supposed (no matter how far you did or did not get) in the middle of foreplay.

Although, now that the memory was rising to the front of his mind, he had to say, he had a type. Kind of. Did one thing in common count as a type? Or was that just shallow? He'd have to ask Peter—the man was an absolute horndog.

He shook his head—now, of all times, was not the time to think about Peter, of all people. He returned his attention to Inko, who had curled in on herself a bit, mumbling rapidly. Toshinori leaned up.

"…His _first_ , how can I be his first? I'm gonna be the standard he holds all women to! Oh my god, I'm not nearly prepared enough for this! I should have taken a longer bath! Put on something nicer! Set the mood! Oh god, I cried all over his shirt! That's not sexy! Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

"Hey, hey!" Toshinori sat up, reaching out and cupping Inko's face. She froze like a deer in headlights. He smiled, pressing a soft kiss against her lips, "I can promise, whatever you do to me, I'll love."

She was frozen for another moment, before a laugh burst past her lips. "Don't speak too soon. I might be into some really kinky stuff."

"If you like it, it can't be all that bad."

Inko hummed, running her hand down Toshinori's chest. He shivered—she edged just shy of his scar, and it felt heavenly. "Well," she purred (he didn't think she could become more enticing), "I guess you can just sit back and relax."

He was all too happy to oblige.

/+/+/+/+/

**A/N: Inko and Toshinori might be the only MHA ship that I wholeheartedly support. Everything else is pretty 'meh' to me. Be sure to leave a review. Later.**


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